Plainfield Township family settles suit over propane tank blast that killed 12-year-old

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

A family whose son was killed and father severely injured in a 2010 Bushkill Township explosion has settled their lawsuit against two companies outside of court.

Kraig Hahn, 45, and his son Luke on July 5, 2010, were excavating an area at Cherry Hill Tree Farm for a playground. Luke Hahn was driving a pickup truck when he ran over an underground propane tank, knocking off its cap and spreading propane throughout the area. Seconds later, a massive explosion erupted, scorching the ground as far as 50 yards away. The 1,000-gallon tank burned for two days.


Luke Hahn died from burns from the explosion just two days short of his 13th birthday. Kraig Hahn, who was 15 feet away in a backhoe, suffered burns to more than 80 percent of his body. He was kept in a medically induced coma for more than a month.

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Express-Times staff Smoke billows from Cherry Hill Tree Farm on Creamery Road in Bushkill Township after an underground propane tank exploded. Luke Hahn, 12, died; his father was critically injured; and several vehicles were involved in the fire. Express-Times Photo | JOHN FRIES

Propane tank explosion kills boy, injures father at Cherry Hill Tree Farm in Bushkill Township gallery (5 photos)





Police said at the time that Kraig Hahn worked for M.F. Ronca & Sons, which owns the farm, and that his son often helped him at work.


A month after the explosion, the Hahn family, of Plainfield Township, filed a lawsuit against American Welding and Tank Co., of Mechanicsburg, Pa., and Inergy Propane LLC, of Kansas City, Mo. The family argued in court documents that the two companies should not have painted the propane tank to blend in with the ground and that it should have been barricaded so it wouldn't explode under the weight of a vehicle.

Mark Altemose, who represented Kraig Hahn, declined to comment other than to say, "The matter has been concluded to the mutual satisfaction of the parties." It was not immediately clear how much money, if any, the family received in the settlement.


Calls to the two companies were not immediately returned.

Inergy Propane and American Welding and Tank each sued other companies and Luke Hahn's estate, saying they contributed to the explosion, according to court documents. The companies included M.F. Ronca & Sons, Wind Drift Real Estate Associates, Northeast Water Utilities Construction Co. and Northeast Sewer Utilities Construction Co.

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